4 STEPS TO SET UP YOUR GOALS FOR 2017
I recently heard about the importance of starting and finishing the year in the best possible way, but for me, it's more important to finish it better than it started. That means that there has been a progress and you will be starting the year on a new level.
How is your year finishing? Have you achieved the body and health you were looking for? Did you get the promotion you wanted, or have you started your own business? Have you let go those toxic relationships? Have you grown spiritually? Do you feel more confident than last year?
Or is it more of the same… same old same old?
Usually, at this time of the year, we start to reflect on the year that’s finishing – especially changes that we would have liked to make but usually we didn’t - and thinking about the year that’s about to start – and the dreams and goals that we would like to achieve.
So far so good, but why is it that it's so difficult to keep motivated with one's own goals?
I think it’s a mix of five things:
1. We live in a fast-paced-instant-reward time
We want results now (with minimum effort), but we underestimate how long some things take. Frustration sets in when the reality doesn’t match our expectations, and so we give up.
2. The goals are unrealistic
They are too big, or there are too many, and the reality is different from what we have imagined.
3. The goals are not meaningful.
If they are superficial and not important to you, you are more likely to give up.
4. There isn’t enough thought and planning given to how to achieve the goal.
5. There is a lack of focus and perseverance
As soon as it starts getting hard, chances are you will start to waver. You need to keep focused and push for that extra mile!
Here are my four steps on how I work out my goals (and keep myself accountable to meeting them):
1. Find your WHY
If you haven't seen Simon Sinek's TED talk, I invite you to do so. This is a brilliant talk of why is so important to start with the why.
To find my why, I use the Wheel of Life like the one below, to carry out an MOT of every aspect of my life. The main purpose of this MOT is not to see where I am, but what's missing to get me to where I would like to be and to reflect on WHY I want to get to that place. Is it something that is meaningful for me or am I trying to please others?
So let’s say I feel that from 1 to 10 my fitness life is a 4 and my goal for 2017 is to reach 7, the work I need to do is to figure it out what I need to do to achieve 5, 6 and finally my goal of 7.
This takes me to step 2... the WHAT
2. WHAT would I like to achieve
For this step, I use a mind mapping technique. It’s a very simple and visual technique that allows me to brainstorm all the possible ways to achieve my goals.
After brainstorming, I select those that are doable and finally I put them in order. It will look something like this:
The last step is the HOW…
3. HOW to achieve my goals
For the last technique, I use 12 x A1 pages. Each page represents a month and each day is of the size of a post-it.
Then I stick each page on the wall by quarter: January, February, March… and so on with all the days of the month.
On each post it, I write what I have been working on in step 2 (the mind mapping) and stick the post-its onto the calendar.
The good thing about this is that I have the flexibility to move things around till I get exactly what I want. And if for any reason I couldn’t achieve my goal in time, I can move things around again.
Note: once I have clear my goals for the end of 2017, I plan backwards in order to achieve those goals.
4. Hire a coach
My fourth recommendation is that you hire a coach who can help you find what’s meaningful for you and keep you accountable. A coach can change your life forever.
If you have struggled with achieving goals in the past, now is the time to try something different. My invitation to you is to take immediate action.
We all have “blind spots” – things that hold us back that we can’t see. Find a coach who will help you uncover your blind spots. Find a coach who can help you get the results you are looking for in your life. You won’t regret it.
REMEMBER: VAGUE GOALS PRODUCE VAGUE RESULTS
You need to be specific and measure your goals on a regular basis. That’s the only way I found to get extraordinary results over time.
Would you like to become an unstoppable goal-achiever that can accomplish ANY goal?
Contact me and we will work on what’s important and meaningful for you, find out what is holding you back and design a plan to move forward and make your dreamed goal come true!
Have a lovely Christmas and a great start of the New Year!
Nico
